Machine for assembling roller bearings



June 30, 1942. H. A. ORTEGREN ETAL 2,288,023

MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLING ROLLER BEARINGS 1o Sheets-sheet 1 Original Filed Deo. 8, 195'? INV June 30,` 1942. H. A. ORTEGREN ET AL 2,288,023 I MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLING ROLLER BEARINGS Original Filed Deo. 8, 1937 l0 Sheets-Sheet 2 TO S / ATTORNEYS' v June 3 0, 1942. H. A. oRTEGRl-:N ETAL 2,288,023

MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLING R OLLER BEARINGS l0 Sheets-Sheet 3 Original Filed Deo. 8, 1937 @L ATTORNEYS June 30, 1942. H. A. oRTl-:GREN ET AL. 2,288,023

MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLING ROLLER BEARINGS Original Filed Deo. 8, 1937 l0 Sheets-Shea?l 4 June 30, 1942.

MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLING ROLLER BERINGS original Filed Dec. a? 19:57 y1o sheets-sheet 5 INVE TO .S

f lai-ATTORNEYS H. A. QRTEGREN'Ez-rm.` 2,288,023 'y June 30, 1942. H. A. ORTEGREN ET AL. 2,288,023

MACHINE FOR AssEMBLING ROLLER BEARINGS Original Filed Dec. 8, 1957 l0 Sheets-Sheet 6 June 30, 1942.

H. A. ORTEGREN ET AL 2,283,023 MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLING ROLLER BEARINGS Original Filed Deo. 8, 1937 10 Sheets-Sheet '7 l lay/7% ATTORNEYS June 30, 1942- H. A. ORTEGREN ET Al. 2,288,023

MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLING'ROLLR BEARINGS Original Filed Deo. 8, 1937 10 Sheets-Sb ,'et 8 Y June 30, 1942- H. A. ORTEGREN ET AL 2,288,023

MACHINE FOR XSSEMBLIG ROLLER BEARINGS l0 Sheets-Sheet 9 Original Filed. Dec. 8, 193'? June 30, 1942. H. A. ORTEGREN ET Al.

n MACHINE FOR ASSEMBLING ROLLER BEARINGS Original Filed Dec. 8, 1937 10 Sheets-Sheet lO ATTORNEY5 Patented June 30, 1942 UNITED STATS oFFICE MACHINE Fort AssEMLING ROLLER BEARINGS Herman A. Ortegren and Charles C. Howenstine,

Detroit, Mich., assigncrs to Bower Roller Bearing Company, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan claims. (c1. 291-84) This invention relates to means for use in the assembling of the parts of bearing structures and more particularly to a machine for assembling the rolls, cages'and raceways of roller bearings, this being a division of our co-pending application, Serial No. 178,784, filed December 8, 1937, and entitled Machine for assembling roller bearings.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a new and improved roller bearing assembling machine which handles and assembles the parts of the bearing assemblies more easily, eciently and accurately than machines of a similar type at present well known and in use.

Another object is to improve a roller bearing assembling machine so that the actual assembling process performed thereby is so performed as to require a minimum amount of effort, not only on the part of the operator but on the part of the machine as well.

Another object is to provide a newand improved roller bearing assembling machine which is more complete in its automaticity, more accurate in its operations and more productive oi a higher quality of results than heretofore.

Another object is to provide a new and improved roller bearing assembling machine wherein the assembling of the parts of the units is performed with equal care and precision for each unit so as to obtain consistently uniform results with little or no spoilage, though the machine is adapted for high output and is of the multipleoperation type.

Another object is to provide a new and improved roller bearing assembling machine wherein various parts of the machine, as well as various parts of the bearing units, require properly timed and positioned settings With respect to each other, and wherein said settings are accomplished with maximum ease, precision and accuracy.

Another object is to provide a new and improved roller bearing assembling machine wherein the act of actually assembling the parts of the bearing unit serves to create a source of energy which subsequently operates to facilitate the removal of the assembled unit from the work table supporting it.

A further object is to provide certain other new and useful features in the construction, arrangement and combination of parts, all as hereinafter more fully set forth, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a front end elevation of a machine illustrative of an embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the lleft side of the machine;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the back of the machine;

Fig. 4 is a plan view;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section substantially upon the line 5-5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged, longitudinal, vertical section substantially upon the line 6-5 of Fig. 5 and of adjacent parts above; p

Fig. 7 is a sectional detail of the cone setting mechanism shown in a different position than that shown at the left side portion of Fig. 6.

Fig. s is a sectional detaiisubstanuauy uponl the line 8-8 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 9 is a plan View of a portion ofthe rotary work table;

Fig. 10 is a section substantially upon the line lll-I0 of Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a section substantially upon the line II-Il of Fig. 6 with parts broken away and in section to disclose more fully the construction;

Fig. 12 is a plan View of the roll distributing head;

Fig. 13 is a side elevation of Fig. 12 with parts broken away and in section to show the construction;

Fig. 14 is a transverse section substantially upon the line l4-I4 of Fig. 13;

Fig. 15 is an elevation of the right hand end of Fig. 13;

Fig. 16 is a sectional perspective detail illustrative of the operation of the rollfeeding and positioning means;

Fig. 17 is a sectional detail showing a' modified form of the roll feeding member;

' Fig. 18 is a cross sectional detail of the adjustable stop and discharging means for the roll positioning means;

Fig. 19 is an enlarged transverse section through the feed hopper substantially upon the line I9-I9 of Fig. 4; p

Fig. 20 is a sectional detail substantially upon the line Ztl-20 of Fig.v 19;

Fig. 2l is a section similar to that of Fig. 19 with parts shown in a different position to illustrate the operation;

Fig. 22 is a section similar to that of Fig. 6 and showing a modified construction adapting the machine to the assembling of bearing units each including rolls and a cage adapted to be formed into position to hold the rolls in place Within the cage;

Fig. 23 is a plan view with portions broken away of the roll delivery means shown`in section at the right hand end of Fig. 22;

Fig. 24 is an enlarged vertical section through the cage holder and cage forming plunger shown at the left hand end portion of Fig. 22 and in a different relative position of operation;

Fig. 25 is a plan View of the lower part or cage holder of Fig. 24;

Fig. 26 is a horizontal section substantially upon the line 2&-25 of Fig. 22; and

Fig. 27 is a horizontal section substantially upon the line 2li-2l' of Fig. 24.

The present machine is designed for the rapid assembly of the parts of a roller bearing and more particularly a bearing employing tapered rolls. Such bearings usually consist of a series of rolls which are spaced apart and held in assembled position by means of what is commonly known as a cage, this cage being of annular form and provided with a series of openings to receive and loosely hold the rolls in place. Such a bearing may also include a cone or raceway member which, when inserted within the cage, holds the rolls in place within the cage,

The machine may, however, be modied for the purpose of assembling bearing units comprising a series of rolls and an annular cageV having ngers formed integral therewith and adapted to be bent for loosely holding the rolls in place within the cage.

The bearing as shown in Figs. 6Y and 7 comprises a series of tapered rolls land a cage 2- of annular form having an upstanding wall 3 preferably formed of sheet metal with a series of spaced apart openings 3a therein, the widthof each opening being slightly less than the diameter of the roll to be received therein. The bearing also includes a conical, annular raceway member l having a properly inclined, intermediate portion upon which the rolls are adapted toroll, the cone member being also formed with a rib at its lower end the outside diameter of which is slightly greater than the diameter of the space at the lower ends of the rolls within the cage when the rolls are in position` within the several openings in the wall of the cage, so that, when the cone member is forced endwise into the cage after the placing of the rolls in position therein, the lower or small ends of the rolls will be engaged by this rib and will be spread slightly, the cage springing suiiiciently to permit the rib to pass the lower ends of the rolls so that the cone will snap into place and loosely hold the rolls in place within the cage, the result being that the rolls, cage and cone areheld in properly assembled position.

In the commercial manufacture of such roller bearings, it has been the common practice to insert the rolls into the openings inthe cage by hand. This is a slow and tedious process, and it is proposed to do this work by means of a machine automatically operative to selectthe rolls and guide them into place within the several cages of a series of cages each of which is automatically positioned to receive `its proper quota of rolls; and, where the bearing which is being assembled is a tapered roller bearing, the several rolls to be inserted in each cage are fed from a hopper or other supply of l-oose rolls and are positioned with their ends of smallest diameter all directed in the same direction for properly positioning the rolls within each cage. The parts ofeach bearing are therefore automatically assembled, it being only necessary for the operator to place the pre-formed cages in the machine, one at a time, and also the cone or raceway members where complete bearings including such members are being assembled.

As shown in the accompanying drawings, the machine embodying the present invention comprises a base E formed with a central hub 'l to receive a vertical stud 8 having a head at its lower end by means of which the stud is secured in any suitable manner within the hub 'l in an upstanding, fixed position. Laterally of the hub 1 the base is also formed with openings to receive vertical, xed, supporting posts 3a for supporting the superstructure of the machine. Mounted for rotation upon the stud 8 is a turn-table indicated as a whole by the numeral 9, and secured in any suitable manner to a downwardly extending hub I@ of this turn-table is a suitable pulley H resting upon the upper end of the hub 'I to turn freely thereon, the turn-table being further supported by means of a centraldisk I la secured to its upper side in any suitable manner with a ball bearing I2 interposed between this disk Ila and an annular shoulder formed on the stud 8. f

The table 9 is formed with a plurality of openings adjacent its periphery each to receive a cage holder and each of which isindicated as a whole by the numeral I3.

Each cage holder 3 includes a tube hadapted to t closely within one -of thelopenings in the table 9 and within this tube is a head or plunger l5 having a stepped, conical, upper end portion I6 adapted to project upwardly through the open upper end of the tube Ill, it being normally held in this position by means of a coiled spring ll interposed between the member l5 and a closure IB for the lowerend of the tube, the member I5 being formed with an annula rib at its lower end to engage a shoulder I within the tube to limit the upward movement of the plunger.` The conical upper end of this plunger is formed to t closely within the small end of the bearing cage 2, the cage fitting over the conical projection and seating uponV a lower step 2li of this conical end, flush with the upper end-of the` tube i4.

Any desired number of these cage holders 3 may be provided upon the table 9 and arranged about the aXis of the table to be brought by rotation of the table into position beneath roll feeding means hereinafter described, one atl a time; and, while the operator is placing the cage upon one of the cage holders, an adjacent cage isY bcing supplied with rolls, the table being turned by means of a friction band or ring 2l applied to the pulley li which is secured to the lower end of the hub I of the table 9. This friction band or member 2l is operated in timed relation to the operation of other parts of the machine by means of a plunger 22movable within a cylinder 23 and having a stem 24. pivotally connected by a link 25 to an arm E extending laterally from the friction band 2i. Pivotally attached to the frame of the machine in any suitable manner and as shown in Fig. 5 is a spring operated dog 27 adapted to engage the edge .of the table Q and to snap into notches 28 formed at suitable intervals in the edge of thetable for properly locating the cage holders I3. Each of the notches 2S is formed with an abrupt shoulder at one side in the direction of the rotation of the table and an inclined shoulder at the opposite side so that the dog 2l will rm-ly hold the table against backward rotation but will permit its forward rotation by the friction band 2l when said band is operated in one direction by means of the plunger 22, said 'band slipping in contact with saidV pulley when turned in the opposite direction, the table being held against backward rotation by said dog 21 engaging the abrupt shoulder of one of the notches.

To supply a plurality of rolls to each cage, a hopper' 29 is provided to hold a supply of loose, pre-formed rolls, said hopper being provided with radially extending arms 39 to engage the upper reduced ends of the posts 8a, the hopper being thus rigidly and xedly supported at the upper end of the machine. The lower side or bottom of this hopper is provided with a series of openings arranged concentrically about the axis of the hopper and projecting into each of these openings is a tubular plunger 3|, these tubular plungers being mounted within the outer ends of the radial arms of a spider 32 which is mounted for vertical sliding movement upon a central fixed shaft 33 the upper end of which is rigidly secured within an axial opening in the bottom of the hopper and extends downwardly therefrom with its lower end xed within a fixed spider 34 having radial arms 35 corresponding in number to the arms of the spider 32.

Mounted in any suitable manner within the outer end of each of the arms 35 is a feed tube 36 adapted to slide within the vertical tubular plunger 3| of each of the arms of the movable spider 32, and this movable spider is moved vertically upon the shaft 33 by means of a fork 31 pivotally supported at 38 upon a bracket extending downwardly from the lower side of the hopper 29. A frame member 38a is rigidly supported upon the posts 8a intermediate their ends and upon this frame 38a is mounted a motor support 39 carrying an electric motor 48 from the shaft of which motor motion is transmitted in any suitable manner to a cross shaft 4| to one end of which is secured a cam for operating a crank arrn 42 the upper end of which arm is pivotally connected to an extension arm 43 of the fork 31. The movable spider 32 is therefore raised and lowered, sliding upon the shaft 33, by the operation of the electric motor, and this movable spider which carries several tubular plungers 3| will therefore move these plungers upwardly and downwardly within the several openings in the bottom of the hopper. As these plungers 3| are tubular, and as the feed tubes 36 are also tubular and extend into these plungers, the loose rolls within the hopper 29 will `feed into the upper open ends of the several tubular plungers 3| and pass down into the feed tubes 36.

The quantity of loose rolls within the hopper is continually agitated by the up and down movements of the tubular plungers 3| so that the rolls find their way into the open upper ends of the plungers; and, to increase the agitation of the rolls within the hopper and direct them into the upper ends of the plungers, anragitator blade 44 is secured at its lower end adjacent each plunger 3| to each arm of the movable spider 32. These blades extend longitudinally .of and upwardly beyond the upper ends of these plungers into the bottom of the hopper through radial slots in said bottom, Therefore, as the several plungers are moved upwardly and are projected through the openings in the bottom of the hopper, the 4blades will also be moved upwardly through their slots in the bottom of the hopper and come into contact with the supply of rolls Within the hopper to agitate these rolls so that they will find their way into the upper open ends of the several plungers.

VMounted upon the reduced upper end of the central stud 8 rising from the base of the machine is a supporting frame 45, and rigidly mounted in any suitable manner upon the upper end of this frame 45 is a roll feeding and distributing -head indicated as a whole Vby the numeral 46, said head comprising an upper block or bar 41 of extended length and -a lower parallel block 48, the upper block 41 being formed with a series of curved conduits or passages 49 opening through the upper side of said block and equal in number to the number of feed tubes 36 which extend downwardly from the hopper 29. Secured in any suitable manner to the lower end of each of the feed tubes 36 is a exible conduit 50, these conduits being extended along the head 46 with each of their lower ends secured to a tubular plug 5| secured within a bore in the upper side of the block 41, and which bores form continuations of the upper ends of the curved passages 49 in said block 41. The rolls contained within each of the several feed tubes 36 are thus free to pass into the upper ends of the flexible conduits 50 and down these several conduits and be distributed along the head 46, passing into the upper ends of the several curved passages 49 in the upper block 41 of the head. In passing down each of these curved passages 49, the lowermost roll therein is directed by the curvature of the passage into a horizontal position at the lower end of the passage with the longitudinal axis of this roll extending horizontally and longitudinally of the block 41 adjacent the lower side of said block, where these rolls will then rest upon the upper surface of a horizontal supporting-bar forming a shelf 52 which is mounted directly upon the upper side of the lower block. The lower end of each curved passage 49 opens into a transverse way or opening 53 in the upper block 41Y and each roll, as it passes down and out of the lower end of each of the curved passages 49, passes into one of these openings 53 and will Vlie therein, in a. horizontal position, upon the upper surface of the horizontally extending sup- 59 at the ends of the head 46 porting bar or shelf V52 and within one of a pair of notches 54 formed in the lower side of a feed nger 55 which extends into and through said opening 53. There is one of these feed fingers 55 r`in each of the openings 53 and they are secured to a swinging feed bar 56 extending the full length of the block 41 at one side thereof and provided with' a laterally extending pivot ear 51 at each end. Ears 51 are pivoted as at 58 to end plates and to which plates or headers 59 the ends of the blocks 41 and 48 are secured in any suitable manner, as by screws passing through the plates and into the ends of the blocks. These fingers 55 are curved in the `direction of their lengths concentrically with their pivotal support 58 and therefore are adapted to swing through the several openings 53 transversely of the block 41.

The feed bar 56 is swung in proper timed relation to the operation of other parts of the machine by means of a flexible arm 60 attached to the pivot 58 at one end of the feed bar, and to the outer end of this arm V6|) is pivotally connected an operating rod 6| extending downwardly and being pivotally connected at its lower end to movable means hereinafter described for operating other parts of the machine.

As hereinbefore stated each roll, after passing down its curved passage 49 in the block 41, en-

ters one of the openings 53 and lies upon the upper surface of the bar or shelf53 within one of the notches 54 in one of the feed fingers 55. Therefore, upon swinging movement of the feed bar 56 in either direction, each of the several rolls so positioned will be moved laterally from the supporting shelf 52, dropping out of the respective notch 54 and into the upper open end ofone or the other of a pair of vertical slots 62 formed in the opposite sides of the lower block 48y which slots extend downwardly through the block' and terminate at their lower ends in round bores into which are vsecured tubular plugs 63' similar to the plugs 5l'and into which plugs the upper ends of tubular, flexible conduits 64 are secured.

In assembling tapered roller bearings, it is essential that the several rolls be placed in each cage'with the tapers of all rolls extending in the same direction. So, as the rolls are free to enter the open upper ends of the feed tubes 36 with either end up, it becomes necessary to reverse those rolls which pass down the conduits 59 with the wrong end up, and, to insure that all rolls4 will drop into their cages with their ends of greatest diameter up, means are provided, immediately following the ejection of each roll from either side of the shelf 52 by the operation of the feed ngers 55, for turning each roll from the horizontal position in which it drops from said shelf into a vertical position. To accomplish this change of position, each roll drops into a limited space at the upper end of each slot 62'between the edge of shelf 52 and an opposed, movable limit bar 65, which space is limited by said bar to a width less than the diameter of the large end of each roll. Therefore, each roll will be engaged at opposite sides adjacent its large end only and suspended between the straight edge of the shelf and straight side of the bar to swing by gravity upon its points of engagement therewith into a vertical position with its end of least diameter extending downwardly.

Each of the two limit bars 65 is secured upon the upper side of a supporting bar 66 which is pivotally supported at its ends by studs 61 projecting from the ends of the bar adjacent its lower side into openings in the end plates 59. These bars are all adapted to swing toward and from the adjacent sides of the block 48l in which sides the slots 62 are formed, said sides being cut away across the upper ends of said slots to permit the projecting inner side of each limit bar to approach the outer edge of the shelf 52, leaving a space therebetween to receive the rolls. The limit bars are so adjusted that the distance between the inner side of each and the opposed edge of the shelf will be just slightly less than the extreme diameter of the large end of the roll when the limit bar is swung toward said edge. to the limit of this movement, as determined by adjustable stop screws 68 passing through screwthreadedV openings in each bar 66 adjacent its ends and near its upper side. Each stop screw 68 has a head 69 the periphery of which is engaged within a notch in the lower side of the limit bar 65, and said bar is attached to its supporting bar 66 by screws 10 passing through elongated openings in said limit bar, so that, as said stop l screws are screwed inwardly into contact with the block 48, the bar 66 will be swung outwardly and at the same time the limit bar will be moved by said screws toward said block and the edge of said'shelf 52, thus providing a differential adjustment for said limit bar to give a very accurate adjustment of the width of the space between the edge of said shelf and opposed edge of said limit bar so that the rolls dropping into said space will be caught adjacent their large ends and suspended thereby, thereupon being free to swing within the flared upper end portions of the slots 62 to a vertical position and pass down said slots, when released, into the several conduits 64.

To swing the bars 66 and limit bars 65 carried thereby, at the proper time to release the rolls caught between said limit bars and the shelf 52, an arm 'l I is secured to one of the pivot studs 58 for the swinging feed bar 56. This stud projects through its bearing opening in the end plate 59 at the end of the head 45 opposite that at which the other stud 58 is located and to which latter stud the operating arm 6I] for swinging the feed bar 56 is attached. Arm 'Il extends downwardly between a pair of adjustable stop screws 12 mounted upon end plate 59 t0 limit the swinging of feed bar 56 in both directions, the lower end of this arm 'Il being engaged by a fork 'I3 which is pivoted at 14 to said end plate 59 and has a lower end portion to swing between the upper free ends of a pair of arms T5 each of which is rigidly secured to the projecting end of one of the pivot studs 6'! for each of the bars 66 upon which the limit bars 65 are mounted. The free end of each arm 15 is provided with an adjustable abutment screw 'i6 to engage the lower end of the fork '13 to adjust the swing of the bars 66, and these arms 15 are yieldingly urged toward each other by a coiled spring 11 connecting said arms to hold one of said screws in contact with said fork, the bar 66 to which the other arm is connected being swung toward the adjacent edge of the shelf 52 with its limit or stop screws 68 in contact with the block 48. The bars 66 are therefore alternately swung in timed relation to the swinging of the feed bar 56 and to the operation of the ngers 55 in ejecting a roll from one edge and then the other of the shelf 52.

In order that the operator of the machine may observe whether or not a roll has been fed to and is suspended in the upper end of each slot 62 just prior to release of the rolls, an opening 'I8 extending nearly the full length 0f each of the bars 66 is provided therein, and each opening is closed by a suitable transparent member 19. Therefore, if he should find a roll to be missing from one of these slots 62, he can swing the feed bar 56 by means of a handle 8i) on the arm 1| and thus manually feed a roll into that slot.

There is one conduit 59 leading from the hopper 29 to the upper end of each curved passage 49 in the upper part of the head 46 and each of these conduits and passages is kept filled with rolls so that each feed finger 55 swinging through each opening 53 which forms the lower end of each passage may receive a rol] in each of its notches. When swung', these fingers will alternately deliver rolls into the spaces between the limit bars 65 and edges of shelf 52, first at one side of said shelf an-d then at the other to supply rolls to both sets of conduits 64, one set leading from the lower ends of the slots or passages 62 in one side of the lower block 48 of the distributing head and the other set leading from the slots at the opposite side of said head. These conduits 64 are together equal in number to the number of rolls to be placed in any one of the cages 2 positioned upon the table 9 with one cage direct- 1y below a fixed delivery head indicated as a whole by the numeral 8l and mounted within a `forked end of an arm 82 projecting from the frame 45.

This delivery head 8| is of circular form in plan viewand comprises an upper disk 83 fitted within the forked end of the arm 82 and secured therein, a lower disk 84 and a recess between said disks within which is a rotatable disk 85 mounted upon an axial stud 86 on said lower disk, all as shown in Fig. 6. These three disks have alignable openings arranged concentrically about the axes of the disks, said openings in the several disks together forming passages through the head when aligned, each passage forming a continuation of one of the conduits B4 the lower ends of which conduits are secured within the upper ends of the openings in the upper disk. The turn table 9 is rotatable with its peripheral portion below the horizontal plane of delivery head 8| to bring the cage holders I3 and cages 2 carried thereby, one at a time, into position directly below said head 8| and into vsuch position that, the rolls I dropping from the several openings in the lower disk 84 will drop into their proper places in the cage. These passages for the rolls formed by these aligned openings in the disks of the head are inclined downwardly in convergent relation so that the rolls will be inclined outwardly as they drop into the cage and will therefore fall outwardly into the openings 3a, in the upstanding Wall of the cage.

'I'he conduits 64 are preferably kept substantially lled with rolls so that they will feed down the conduits by gravity, and, to control the discharge of these rolls into the cage, the intermediate disk 85 serves as a valve and is provided with a forwardly projecting handle 81 by means of which it may be turned by hand against the action of a spring 88 which normally holds said disk turned with its openings out of alignment with the openings in the other disks and prevents the feeding of rolls into the cage until such time as the cage is properly positioned and the operator turns the valvular disk to release a set of rolls. The feeding of rolls into the cage is thus controlled independently of the operation of the machine and the operator may see .that each cage is filled and the rolls properly positioned therein before the table is turned to the next station.

In operation, the operator will place a cage 2 over the conical end I6 of the plunger I5 of the cage holder I3 nexi; preceding in the direction of rotation of the table 9 the holder which is directly beneaththe delivery head 8|. To insure proper positioning of the openings 3a in the wall 3 of this cage relative to the discharge openings in the disk 84, a locating dog 89 is pivotally mounted opposite each cage holder I3 within a notch in the edge of a flange of the cage holder at the upper side of the table 9. Each of these dogs has an upstanding free end adapted to enter one of the openings 3a in the wall of the cage as the cage is placed upon said holder, each dog also having a. tail portion extending radially inward of said table and beneath a anged cam ring 90 secured to the lower end of the supporting hub 9| of the frame 45. The lower edge of this ring 90 is formed with a cam notch 92 into which the tail ends of the dogs 89 successively ride as they are carried around by the table 9. This cam notch is located opposite the station where each cage is placed upon its holder so as to permit each of the dogs to tilt about its pivot under the force of a spring operated plunger 93 acting beneath the tail of each dog and to permit the head end of thedog thus tilted to enter one of the openings 3a in the cage just placed.

Further turning of the table to position the cage beneath the head 8| will move the tilted dog out of contact with the cam notch and cause said dog to be withdrawn from said opening in the cage to permit a roll to drop into place therein when the rolls are released from said head.

When a bearing including the conical raceway member 4 is being assembled, this member 4 is placed by the operator in position to be inserted within the cage 2 which has just been supplied with rolls by the delivery head 8| and moved along by the further turning of the table 9, said raceway being seated at its lower end upon the upper step of the conical upper end |6 of the plunger I5, as shown at the left in Fig. 6. The table is then turned to bring the cage and raceway beneath a head 94a on the lower end of a piston rod 94 which lower end is guided by and secured to a bridge bar 95 slidable upon the vertical posts 8a. The lower end of the rod 6| is pivotally attached to the bridge for transmitting motion from said bridge to operate the arm 60 and swing the feed bar 56 for feeding the rollers from the lower ends of the passages 49 in the distributor head 46. The upper end of piston rod 94 is secured to a piston 96 within a cylinder 91 (see Figs. 2 and 3) secured to the lower side of the frame member 38a so that, upon the admission of compressed air or other fluid into said cylinder through one of a p air of branch pipes`98, the piston will be moved to bring the head 94a down upon the upper end of the conical raceway 4 and force said raceway downward together withvthe plunger I5 upon which it is seated, the plunger moving down within` its tube I4 against the action of the spring and said raceway being thus forced into the cage V2 which seats at its lower end within a groove in the upper end of said tube as said plunger moves downward. The raceway is thus forced endwise into its cage, its annular outstanding rib on its lower end being forced past the rolls in said cage to engage beneath their lower ends, 4thus locking the raceway and rolls in the cage and completing the assembly of the bearing unit. l l

Upon completion of the bearing assembly and upstrokeV of the piston rod 94, the assembled unit will be lifted clear of the table 9 by the upward projection of the plunger I5 due to the spring so that the operatormay conveniently remove the assembled unit from the machine. The operations of turning the table 9 and operating piston 96 are conveniently controlled by providing a suitable source of fluid under pressure (notshown) from which source a pipe 99 leads to a Ysuitable two way valve |00 (Fig. 2) which controls and alternates the flow to the branch pipes 98 and also topipes I0| leading to cylinder 23 having therein the piston 22 which operates the friction band 2| for turning said table 9. This valve |00 is operated by a rod |02 leading to a foot pedal |03 beneath which is a spring |04 for returning the pedal and valve to normal position.

Where the machine is to be used in assembling bearing units consisting of a series of tapered rolls and a cage to hold the rolls without the use of a cone member, the cage being provided with means for holding the rolls in place, parts of the machine may be modified as shown in Figs. 22 to 27 inclusive. In this case, a cage which is indicated as a whole by the numeral |05 in Fig. 24; comprises an upstandng wall |06 provided with a series of openings lliia` to receive the'rolls, the cage being formed from sheet metal with the lower end of the cage wall provided with integral fingers |01. These ngers extend upwardly and inwardly from the lower end portion of the wall between the openings Ia, and the upper end of each ringer is reduced in width and bent outwardly, forming a lug m8 to engage the wall of the cage between said openings when the ngers have been bent outwardly after the insertion of the rolls to hold the rolls in place within the cage. In the assembled unit, the rolls must have play within the cage, that is, they must not frictionally engage the edges of the openings in the cage wall and the fingers for holding the rolls in place must not frictionally engage the rolls, as, otherwise, the free rotation of the rolls would be retarded. Therefore, after the rolls are fed from the hopper and are distributed and turned with their small ends all directed in the same direction as previously described, they are dropped or fed directly into the cage by modi-ned means shown in Fig. 22 and the cage is then carried around by the table 9 to suitable means provided for bending the fingers of the cage outwardly to hold the series of rolls loosely in place.

As shown in Fig. 22, the hub 9| of the frame 45 is provided with a forwardly extending arm |59 similar to the arm 82, and this arm also has a forked end to receive a circular delivery head comprising a disk member H which is provided with an annular row of openings into the upper ends of which the flexible conduits S4 are secured and through which the rolls are fed by gravity. A ring member HI is rigidly secured to the lower side of the disk H0 and provides a recess within which a valve disk I2 is mounted, this valve disk being formed with a series of openings adapted to register with the openings in the disk HIJ and also adapted to be turned by means of a handle H3 to bring about such registery. This valve disk is normally turned by means of a spring I I4 to position the openings in the valve disk out of alignment with the openings in the disk H0. Therefore, the rolls which are fed by gravity down the conduit B4 pass into the openings in the disk HB and are normally prevented rfrom passing on down by the valve disk I I 2. The operator of the machine may control the feeding of the rolls, for, when a cage is'in proper position below the delivery head, he may operate the valve disk H2 and release a series of rolls which will drop directly into place within the cage.

The cage seats closely within a conical recess H6 in the upper side of a block or holder H5 which block is rigidly mounted within an opening in the table 9 adjacent its periphery, there being a plurality of these cage holders arranged within openings in the table in a manner similar to the arrangement of the cage holders |3 which have been previously described, and the conical wall of the recess IIE is formed with shallow grooves HSa to receive the outer sides of the rolls. This recess H6 is of a conical form and has a diameter substantially the same as the external diameter of the cage, so that the upstanding wall of the cage its into this recess and is supported therein by a plunger I |1 having a series of lugs H8 projecting upwardly between the ngers |81 of the cage for properly locating the cage openings |a relative to the openings in the delivery head, so that, when released, the rolls will drop directly into these openings |06a between said fingers. The plunger H1 is supported within a bore in the block H5 by means of a spring H9, so that this plunger may move downwardly under pressure applied to the cage.

After the rolls have been fed into the cage, the table 9 is indexed around and the cage is brought to position beneath a head |20 secured to the lower end of the piston rod 94. To the lower side of this head is secured a disk |2|, this disk having a recess in its lower side to receive a plunger head |22 having a downwardly extending, cylindrical end portion |22a formed with a conical lower end. Secured to the peripheralportion of the base of the plunger head |22 is a guide sleeve |23 within which is guided a ring member |24 sleeved upon the cylindrical part I22a, and there is a spring I 25 interposed between the base of the plunger head and an outstanding flange at the lower end of said ring member for normally holding said member pressed downwardly to the limit of its movement as determined by said guide sleeve. The lower end of this ring member |24 is formed with a series of downwardly extending, rigid ngers |25 which are formed with inclined outer sides adapted to engage the inner sides of the several rolls, so that, upon downward movement of these fingers and their projection into the cage, they will come into contact with the inner sides of the rolls and force the rolls otwardly into the grooves H60., the cage wall seating against the inclined wall of the recess H6 in the block between the rolls. These several rigid ngers |23 slide within the grooves |21 in the downwardly projecting, cylindrical portion |22a of the plunger head |22, and longitudinal ribs |28 formed on said portion |22a between these grooves |21 are brought by the downward movement of the head into engagement with the tongues or ngers |01 on the cage to bend these fingers outwardly between the rolls and bring the bent end portions I |28 of these fingers into contact with the upstanding wall ISS of the cage. Theseating of the rolls in the grooves H6a limits the outward movement of the rolls through the openings in the cage wall, and the ends |08 of the iingers |01 coming into contact with said wall limit the positions of the ngers relative to said rollsv so that the proper clearance between rolls and cage is insured. The seating of the cage wall against the inclined wall of the recess H6 between said rolls prevents distortion of the cage under the force applied by the ngers v|26 in bending the ngers |01 outwardly.

The supporting or lower plunger |1 has a head at its upper end upon which the cage is seated, and sleeved upon a stem 29 of this plunger within the lower end of the bore therefor in the block or holder I I5 is the coiled spring I9 which normally acts to hold the plunger raised to space its head from the conical surface of the recess H6 and permit the free insertion of the cage. This spring will be compressed by the upper plunger |22 when the latter descends to press the cage into recess H6, and, therefore, after the assembling operation has been completed and the upper plunger is moved up, said spring will act to raise the assembled cage and rolls so that the unit may be conveniently removed from the machine. The spring |25 which acts to project the ngers |26 permits an upward yield of these iingers so that they will not be brought with tooV great a force into contact with the rolls.

It may be found desirable to modify the roll feeding mechanism so that it may feed a lesser number of rolls into each cage, as, for instance, Where a lesser number of rolls with greater interspacing is used. To do this, the feeding of the rolls by one or more of the ngers 55 at one side of the head 46 is prevented by closing one' of the notches 54 by means of a detachable block l3l, as shown in Fig. 17. It is obvious that other changes may be made in the construction, arrangement and combination of parts Without departing from the spirit of the invention and We do not therefore limit ourselves to the particular construction shown.

What We claim is:

l. In a machine for assembling anti-friction bearings with multiple rollable elements in apertured cages, a base member, a Workholder member rotatably mounted on said base member, a plurality of bearing cage holder members spaced at intervals around said Workholder member, cage locating means associated therewith and movable into and out of said cage apertures, means for rotating and indexing said Workholder member, and means operable in timed relationship with the rotation of said Workholder member for actuating said cage locating means.

2. In a machine for assembling anti-friction bearings with multiple rollable elements in apertured cages, a base member, a workholder member rotatably mounted on said base member, a plurality of bearing cage holder members spaced at intervals around said Workholder member, cage locating means associated therewith and movable into and out of said cage apertures, means for rotating and indexing said Workholder member, and mechanism responsive to a predetermined rotation of said Workholder member for eecting movement of said cage locating means into said cage aperture.

3. In a machine for assembling anti-friction bearings with multiple rollable elements in apertured cages, a base member, a Workholder member rotatably mounted on said base member, a plurality of bearing cage holder members spaced at intervals around said Workholder member, cage locating means associated therewith and movable into and out of said cage apertures, means for rotating and indexing said Workholder member, and a cam device connected to one of said members and responsive to a predetermined rotation of said Workholder member for effecting movement of said cage locating means into said cage aperture.

4. In a machine for assembling anti-friction bearings With multiple rollable elements in apertured cages, a base member, a Workholder member rotatably mounted on said base member, a plurality of bearing cage holder members spaced at intervals around said Workholder member, a

cage positioner connected to one of said members and movable into and out of said cage apertures, and mechanism responsive to a predetermined rotation of said workholder member for effecting movement of said cage positioner into said cage aperture.

5. In a machine for assembling anti-friction bearings with multiple rollable elements in apertured cages, a base member, a workholder member rotatably mounted on said base member, a plurality of bearing cage holder members spaced at intervals around said Workholder member, a cage positioner connected to one of said members and movable into and out of said cage apertures, and a cam device connected to one of said members and responsive to a predetermined rotation of said Workholder member for effecting movement of said cage positioner into said cage aperture.

HERMAN A. ORTEGREN. CHARLES C. HOWENSTINE. 

